Somalia Faces Diphtheria Rise Amid Vaccine Shortages and Aid Cuts

Somalia Faces Diphtheria Rise Amid Vaccine Shortages and Aid Cuts
————————————–
According to a report from Reuters, Somalia is experiencing a sharp increase in diphtheria cases and deaths this year, exacerbated by a global vaccine shortage and cuts to U.S. aid. The general director of Somalia’s National Institute of Health, Hussein Abdukar Muhidin, reported that over 1,600 cases and 87 deaths have been recorded this year, a significant rise from the 838 cases and 56 deaths reported in all of 2024.

Diphtheria, a preventable bacterial disease, primarily affects children. Somalia’s Health Minister, Ali Haji Adam, said the government has struggled to procure enough vaccines and that U.S. aid cuts have made it difficult to distribute the doses they do have. The U.S. was previously the leading humanitarian donor to Somalia, with the country’s health budget almost entirely funded by donors. This year’s U.S. foreign assistance commitments to Somalia stand at $149 million, down from $765 million in the previous fiscal year.

The report also mentions that the aid group Save the Children stated that the closure of hundreds of health clinics in Somalia this year has contributed to a doubling of cases of diphtheria, measles, whooping cough, cholera, and severe respiratory infections since mid-April. Additionally, the Somali government has been criticized by human rights activists for its limited funding of the health sector, with a health budget allocation of 4.8% in 2024, down from 8.5% the previous year, according to Amnesty International.